Laying down my life
Laying down my life
(The Victory of the Cross of Christ)
David Wilkerson
When Jesus went to the cross He showed to us what it means to lay down Your life for another. And this is really getting to the depth of the cross.
Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life,
that I might take it again.
John 10:17
No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.
John 10:18
He said,
“Look, I have a choice. I don’t have to go this path of laying down my life.
I have a choice I can take it or I can lay it down.”
We have that same choice. That’s what the cross is speaking to us. He laid down His life. He chose to do it. Did He winch when they laid Him down?
He could have called at anytime. He could have chosen in the garden of Gethsemane after He shed bloody tears.
He could have said, “No, I don’t have to do this.” He could have chosen another route.
He could have called down when they pierced Him with the first snail. He could have called down a host of heaven and stopped it and said, “You’re has to be another way.”
He didn’t say, “I can’t take it.” He never said, “This is too much for me.” He’s unselfish. How selfish I know my heart has been sometime when I have thought even spoken those words. Jesus never did.
But I’ve said it. “This is enough. I can’t handle it anymore.”
Have you been there? Some of you’re there right now.
“I can’t. How can God be in this? How can this be?”
I know people that lay down their lives for others. There are people that will lay down their lives for people indeed. I don’t know how they do it.
There’re some people I watch and I see. There’s something supernatural. About how they keep giving without murmuring, without complaining, without selfishness, without thinking this.
“I’m the only one going through this. My trial’s the greatest trial of all.”
Don’t worry. I’ve been there.
“For this reason because I lay don my life by choice”
(John 10:17)
“For this reason my father loves me.”
(John 10:17)
“Because I lay down my need, my life for the sheep.”
There’s never been in needier hour in all of history when we need those who lay down their life. We’re not consider their own difficulties first. But we have their eye and their heart attention set on finding the needs of others.
There’s a special love of God that goes to these people.
He said,
“Do you want to know why Father loves me?
For this reason.
Because I lay my life down for others.
I chose to lay my life down.”
I want to make that choice too, to lay my life down for the sheep, for the brothers.
Here’s what the Scripture said,
Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us:
and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
1John 3:16
Here’s how the world’s gonna know.
Not by your shouts, Not by just your preaching.
Because you have such a love for one another, you’re laying down your lives. And the world can’t comprehend that.
But if there anything breaks through gross darkness it’s the love in the body of Christ.
You need the love. I need the love. We need to be surrounded by people who love Christ, who care about you, and then you allow them to care.